The Abbe was recently the recipient of a $220,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The funds from this grant will be used for projects that are part of phase two in the Greening the Abbe initiative. Specifically, the grant will be used to fund replacement/improvement of the Abbe's exhibit lighting and dehumidification systems in order to meet environmental preservation targets as well as implement economically and environmentally sustainable approaches to the building environment. This project is aligned with the museum's strategic goal to maintain and improve facilities and infrastructure to support essential programs and to promote long-term sustainability.

This is a transformative grant award that will reduce the Abbe's carbon footprint and continue to lower operating costs. The Greening the Abbe initiative kicked off during the 2012 Gathering Gala during our first paddle raise. Collecting over $30,000 in greening donations, the paddle raise made phase one improvements happen which included installation of a new control system for the humidity and temperature systems and UV film in the Circle of Four Directions windows. Efforts like this immediately resulted in lowering our energy consumption by 20%, saving about $500 per month.